Sihu (instrument)
The sihu is a Chinese bowed string instrument with four strings. It is a member of the huqin family of instruments.
Construction
The instrument's name comes from the words, referring to the instrument's number of strings, and short for, the family of instruments of which the is a member. Its soundbox and neck are made from hardwood and the playing end of the soundbox is covered with python, cow, or sheep skin.There are several sizes of ; the lowest of these is generally tuned C, C, G, G; the medium size is tuned G, G, D, D; and the smallest size is tuned D, D, A, A.
Technique
The instrument is held vertically, with its soundbox on the player's lap, and its strings are tuned in pairs. The bow, usually made of horsetail hair, is grouped into two strands to enable both pairs of strings to sound at the same time.Use
The is primarily associated with the Mongolian culture, and is played by Mongolians in Mongolia and also in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. The Mongolians call it the Khuurchir. It is also used as a traditional instrument in the Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang provinces of China.It is also used as an accompanying instrument in various Chinese narrative genres, including Beijing, plum blossom,, Tianjin new tunes, Shandong, Northeast, Hubei song, Shaoxing, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, northeast dance duet, lucky play, Beijing opera derived drama from ballads, Hebei, and Henan traditional entertainment involving talking, singing, and drama.
The sihu, often sometimes called the tiqin back then, was the premier folk instrument of the Qing Dynasty, used in both folk and court ensembles by Han, Mongol, and Manchu musicians, until Liu Tianhua brought the erhu to Beijing in the 1920s. Since then, the sihu has mostly fallen into obscurity, even among Mongols.
Similar instruments include the Mongolian and the Tuvan byzaanchy. In China, is considered an alias of sihu.